Today I went to the Equator and then Old Town Quito. I am back at the hotel and thought I'd do a quick update before heading to the airport to go to Lima.
the equator has 2 monuments. one is a cheesy touristy area where the initial equator was thought to be back in 1736. Then 210 meters away, there is the real equator located with GPS technology. Both are interesting and worth the trip. The touristy one just has the line and shops and restaurants and a chapel, etc. The other has scientific tests you can do to show you are at the equator. It was all very interesting. One was showing us the globe and if you stood on the equator, it spun just top over end. if you were on the northern half, it spun counterclockwise. If you were standing on the southern hemishpere, it spun clockwise. then you can do a test with the water. and at the equator, it drains straight down. Northern hemisphere, counter clockwise--southern hemisphere, clockwise.
Here is a video of the experiment. sorry, i keep forgetting it only films horizontal. . . so i apologize for some of the camera work!
Here is the link for water draining on the equator and then both hemispheres:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AFrbOEAKMfw Also, we talked about how you can see the big dipper, o'ryan (sp?) and southern cross constellations at all times in both galapagos (because they are at the equator) and here at the equator. We balanced an egg on the top of the nail (I got a certificate showing I am an egg master) and we tested how the pull is different. If you close your eyes and walk the equator line, then you feel very wobbly and like there is a highwire with no net. very odd!
After the equator, i went to old town and saw a lot of the churches and buildings that give Quito that very specific look. and then back to the hotel. I am about to pack and go to the airport to meet the mission trip. It was a quick trip here to Ecuador and the Islands, but very magnificant! I hope you're all cheering my Rebels to victory as I fly from Quito to Lima! Hotty Toddy!!
